When someone you love is an alcoholic

Living with an alcoholic can be a living hell. Sometimes an alcoholic can be exciting and romantic yet unpredictable and dangerous. Nobody has a clue when they will be blamed or accused. As the alcoholic becomes more irresponsible, they are unable to lean on their partner for comfort or support.

We worry; feel angry, afraid and alone. We hide our private lives from friends, co-workers and even family to cover up the problems created by alcoholic. Our shame is not warranted; nonetheless, we feel responsible for the actions of the alcoholic. Our self-esteem deteriorates from the alcoholic’s lies, verbal abuse, and blame. Our sense of safety and trust erodes as our isolation and despair grow. Alcohol is a drug. I refer to alcoholism, but many of the feelings that partners experience are the same, regardless of the type ofaddiction.

Addiction is considered a disease

Alcohol is a drug and alcoholism is a disease. It is just like other addiction that worsens with time. Alcoholics drink to ease their emotional pain and emptiness. Alcoholics often try to control their drinking but once dependency takes hold, most find it impossible to stop or drink like non – alcoholics. Alcoholics drink because they have a disease and an addiction too. Addicts deny this reality and blame their alcohol or anything else.

Alcohol use Disorder

The recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders refers excessive drinking as Alcohol Use Disorder. It refers to an alcoholic as a person with an Alcohol Use Disorder. It is a disorder that causes impairment or distress manifested by at least two of the following signs within a year when the person

1. Drinks alcohol in greater amounts for a longer period of time intentionally
2. Spends great time in activities to obtain alcohol or to recover from its effects
3. Has a strong desire to drink alcohol
4. Drinks when it’s physically hazardous to do so
5. Stops or reduces important activities due to drinking
6. Has made failed attempts to reduce or control drinking

The Family’s Disease

Addiction is a family disease and it is said that at least five other people experience the effects of a drinker’s alcoholism referred to as “Secondhand Drinking”. The persons who are close to an alcoholic try to control the situation, the drinking, and the addict. If you live with substance abuse, you’re affected most, and children severely suffer because of their vulnerability and lack of maturity, especially if their mother or both parents are addicts.

It’s painful to helplessly watch someone we love slowly destroy him or her, our hopes and dreams, and our family. We feel frustrated and resentful from repeatedly believing the addict’s broken promises and from trying to control an uncontrollable situation. Denial affects the family as well as the addict. In time, family members become as obsessed with the alcoholic as he or she is with alcohol.

Hope and Recovery

Family members easily become codependent with the alcoholic. Without help, that codependency follows the same downward trajectory of alcoholism. There is hope, however, and there is help for the addict and for family members. The first step is to learn as much as you can about alcoholism and codependency. Many of the things people do to help an addict or alcoholic are counterproductive and actually can make things worse. Listen to the experience, strength, and hope of others in recovery.

You will learn:

• Not to suffer because of the actions or reactions of other people
• Not to allow ourselves to be used or abused by others in the interest of another’s recovery
• Not to do for others what they can do for themselves
• Not to manipulate situations so others will eat, go to bed, get up, pay bills, not drink, or behave as we see fit
• Not to cover up for another’s mistakes or misdeeds
• Not to create a crisis
• Not to prevent a crisis if it is in the natural course of events

How Alcohol Addiction May Affect Mental Health

Alcohol happens to be the most preferred go-to thing, whether someone wants to de-stress after a long day at work or spending an evening with friends. Sadly, the booze is like a customary for most people. Despite being the leading cause of preventable deaths, alcohol is marketed openly and projected in the media as a positive substance.

Contrary to the popular belief, alcohol does more harm than good when consumed in large quantities over a prolonged period. It is known to cause numerous negative effects, ranging from memory loss and blackouts to a number of mental healthissues, such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. Since alcohol is a depressant, it can hamper the normal functioning of brain, affecting one's thoughts, feelings and actions.

Evidently, alcohol addiction and poor mental health go hand in hand. For people who cannot live without alcohol every day, mental health issues are common occurrences. At the same time, an individual dealing with a mental health condition like depression or anxiety is more likely to develop alcohol addiction in comparison to those who are not afflicted by any mental disorder. Precisely, when an individual deals with both a substance abuse problem and a mental disorder, he or she is known to have a co-occurring condition or dual diagnosis.

Here are some most common co-existing conditions, which can cause serious repercussions:

Alcohol and anxiety

Alcohol often acts as a first resort to fight the symptoms of anxiety in a short run. But when the consumption of alcohol becomes a regular affair, it is likely that the symptoms of anxiety would worsen over time. Drinking heavily interferes with the healthy functioning of neurotransmitters present in the brain, which in turn has a negative impact on a person battling any mental health issue, such as anxiety, thus worsening the existing symptoms.

Alcohol and depression

Alcohol is a depressant and therefore its regular consumption can make a person feel sad, low and extremely tired or uncomfortable. Moreover, consumption of alcohol over a prolonged period can worsen the existing depressive symptoms. However, for some people, the presence of anxiety or depression can prompt them to experiment with alcohol to relieve the symptoms. Clearly, alcohol and depression form a vicious cycle, which can eventually lead to self-harm, psychosis or even suicide.

Alcohol and memory loss

Drinkingalcohol occasionally as well as over a long period of time can cause memory loss. Actually, alcohol slows down the brain processes, which causes significant impairments to the memory. Heavy drinking impairs a person's ability to remember or even recall things. It even puts the person at a risk of having poor health getting involved in anti-social activities.

Four ways to help prevent alcohol affecting your mood

1. Use exercise and relaxation to tackle stress instead of alcohol.
2. Learn breathing techniques to try when you feel anxious.
3. Talk to someone about your worries. Don’t try and mask them with alcohol.
4. Always be aware of why you’re drinking. Don’t assume it will make a bad feeling go away, it’s more likely to exaggerate it.

Seeking treatment for dual diagnosis

Unlike a single problem of say, an addiction ora mental condition, dual diagnosis needs comprehensive treatment. While an inpatient program may be comparatively more helpful for dual diagnosis, the availability of the latest tools and medications also increases the chances of overcoming the problem. However, it is important to seek medical help in case of addiction to any substance or occurrence of any mental disorder, or both.

Things to Know About Drug and Alcohol Detoxification

Making a decision to seek treatment for addiction to drug or alcohol, and then sticking to it is very difficult. A great deal of courage and grit is required to accept the fact that one needs treatment for attaining sobriety. Detoxification, which helps remove the toxins from the body accumulated for years due to continuous drug and alcohol abuse, is the first step toward the recovery process.

However, many people have preconceived notions about detox that might be deceiving. One needs to understand that a successful recovery is a grim affair without detox. Listed below are some of the facts that an individual needs to know about the detoxification process:

• Drug and alcohol detox is the first part of the treatment process: Just by opting for a drug or alcohol detox does not make you sober. A comprehensive treatment follows detoxification that includes therapies, medications, counselling, and alternative treatments, etc. Detox helps to free the body of all the harmful toxins accumulated due to the prolonged abuse of a drug or alcohol and also helps manage difficult withdrawal symptoms.
• Detox must be completed before starting the next part of treatment: The body should be free of all the toxins before a comprehensive process of therapies and medications can be administered to a patient.
• Detox should be done under a medically controlled setting: Quitting the substance of abuse without any medical supervision can have adverse consequences. Detox must be carried out in a clinically controlled setting, under the supervision of medical professionals who are able to handle the painful withdrawal symptoms.
• Undergoing detox is not easy: The process of detox is not easy. The body will crave for the substance during the process and there will be withdrawal symptoms. However, doctors are well equipped to handle such situations and a focused mind can help a patient come out of the agony of drug abstinence.
• Detox length is not same for all: The detox length is not the same for all. It will depend on the severity of the condition, the type of drug or alcohol consumed, his/her ability to overcome the withdrawal symptoms or any other mental health condition, etc.
• Relapse after detox can increase dependence: One should try to avoid drugs after detox because relapse will only increase dependence on the drug. In fact, seeking detox treatment from clinically supervised treatment centers helps in relapse prevention and prepares the body for a holistic treatment.

Benefits of detox

Detox is the first and an indispensable part of the recovery process because it frees the mind and body of drug and alcohol dependence. As the body gets rid of the toxins, an individual regains control over his behaviour and the body slowly starts to heal from the acute exploitation by the drugs or alcohol. Patients regain their brain chemistries with their health getting back on track. The risks associated with drug or alcohol addiction start minimizing once the body is cleansed.

It is, however, true that detox is not the first and last step of a recovery process. It needs to be followed by proper therapies, medications and other alternative treatments, like yoga, meditation or exercise, which can help an individual thwart the ill effects of long-time drug or alcohol indulgence.